National Museum of Civil War Medicine

What a gem in the middle of historic downtown Frederick! We went for a day tripwith my bf and his grandmother. Deceivingly large on the inside — you can’t tell from the outside. So many engaging exhibits, complete with surround sound and wall-​to-​wall props and paintings. Very cool. The period costume historians were helpful and knowledgeable and gave a lot of extra info we found interesting. There is an elevator for accessibility and they sell the new Civil War themed beer by Dogfish head.
One eerie and cool thing that is almost out of the way in an exhibit is an actual human arm from Antietam.

As someone intrigued by the development of medical techniques as well as the history of the Civil War, a stop at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine was a must while in Frederick MD. For the most part it was what I expected. Probably not something for kids as some of the pictures and exhibits can be a bit graphic (one a photo of amputated limbs still haunts me).
The museum is not that big but it is informative. It’s fascinating to see the advancements made during this time (both horrifying and helpful) as well as the understanding of things like infection, sterility and changes made to surgical procedures. Expect lots of reading. I think we made it through the whole place in about an hour or so.
Falls between 3 and 4 stars.

I loved this place! but, then, I am a nerd. I am NOT even an avid Civil War enthusiast, I should point out — I just like smaller, quirky museums, and I like to find out some of the history of the places I visit. So when I knew I was visiting the Frederick area, I checked out Unilocal (yay, Unilocal!), and took some recommendations.
Anyway… Go here!
We were greeted by two staff members working the desk who had strong opinions about mid-​nineteenth-​century medicine. (I mentioned my real headache, as we entered, and asked whether they sold anything for it – suggesting maybe morphine, or leeches??? – as a feeble, pain-​hampered joke. One staffer promptly replied that morphine would require a doctor’s prescription, and leeches were no longer used in the Civil War era. Yikes.)
A docent clad in a Union uniform led us to the second floor, where the main exhibit began, and gave us a brief but extremely clear and thorough orientation. The two floors of exhibits we made our way through, aided by excellent placards and handouts, and enhanced by audio, video, and numerous well-​done dioramas, honestly moved us. (The museum used the laudable tactic of investing us in the fate of a single solider. By the end, we were dying to know what happened to him. Readers, he lived! and married, and had many children — and, according to the staff, had descendants represent him in a visit to the museum last year!!)
Forward! if you’re even vaguely interested of the history of the Civil War, and you find yourself nearby…

Very well laid out and informative museum. The subject is often overlooked and its importance is vital to the understanding of the development of medicine. Its a very good museum with great easy to understand exhibits. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. Check it out.

I am so glad that I stopped in! This is a great little museum on an important set of topics, not limited to medicine. As a female, I was impressed by the depth of information gathered and displayed about women in the war, both as soldiers and healers. This is a text heavy museum so if you like lots of interactive touch screens and recorded narration, this may be too much work for you. That said, the dioramas were fantastic (though some of the songs playing in the background got so repetitive that I wished for earplugs). Great museum for history buffs. Check it out.
And PS: the staff was fantastic. Friendly, inviting and non intrusive. Perfect.

I think the title of this place scares off potential visitors, but in all honesty, it’s a very cool museum. It takes about an hour to go through, (or two if you are with your medical industry father in law…) and is very visual and interactive.
It’s the type of museum where you say «huh!» And, «how did I not know that?» As you walk around and read plaques. While their focus is very specific you really do get a feel for what it must have been like living in the area during the civil war.
If you are from the area, you’ll gain an ever bigger appreciation for the beautiful churches in our downtown as you view photos of how they were used as hospitals, with boards over the pews. It amazes me that injured soldiers, no matter what side they were fighting for, were treated in side by side beds.
This museum is definitely worth the admission and taking the time to walk around. I find it’s a great rainy day activity when we have guests in town and going to the battlefields isn’t an option.

I went to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine with a friend several weeks ago. I wouldn’t have known about this museum had it not been for the voucher I saw on Groupon.
The museum was worth the trip. I walked away feeling like I truly learned something. The museum «talked» about how medicine (specifically, doctors and nurses) played a part in pre and post the Civil War. There were a lot of facts I hadn’t even considered such as the number of deaths that occurred after the Civil War due to injuries from the war.
I wouldn’t recommend this museum for small children. The exhibits aren’t very interactive. It is a lot of reading.
The collection is much larger than you’d expect.
The gift shop is meh. If you want to go shopping Frederick, MD has a downtown with a number of boutique like shops and restaurants. It was a little chilly the day we went to the museum so we didn’t take advantage of all the window shopping. Had been warmer outside we would have spent more time wandering in and out of shops.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for something off the beaten path and are have been there done that with the Smithsonian museums it is worth the trip and is a nice place to spend an afternoon.

This was a extremely awesome and interesting place to go to and visit. It was my second time here. The museum and it
Exhibits is super clean and well organized and the staff

Took my family to this museum during our walk around downtown Frederick. Even though it’s small and really quick to complete, its set up very well and there is a nice atmosphere to the whole place. The displays are realistic and many of them have some neat audio clips to add to the scenarios. The information is laid out very well, and there are neat little wooden doors and cards that offer really interesting tidbits of information and trivia. Some aspects of the exhibit are interactive — such as allowing one to lift equipment or weapons that the troops would have carried or standing next to cutouts of short and tall troops to see just how they stood in comparison to you.
What my brother and I enjoyed the most was the bits of information on what types of medicines were given for various ailments and how those medicines affected the ailing. Many of said medicines killed the very patients they were meant to treat. It was also pretty sobering to see what the troops were affected by and how likely they were to die from certain things that didn’t even involve combat. And the nurses dealt with a heck of a lot as well.
I also really loved the chests and wagon displays with the cases and jars of medical ointments, salves, etc. There are also life size displays of things like the wagons used for transport.
Overall, a pretty neat place to go with your family. I feel it was set up very well and has some really cool displays and information.

You can pop this museum out in about an hour. It’s a $ 10 ticket, and then you take and elevator to the top floor, walk around, and then hit up the bottom floor (skip the gift shop and BOOM! Done.
Most museums have a broader topic, but this is only 4 years of medical history, and only within the war, so there isn’t THAT much to cover. But what they cover, they do very well. The exhibits are creative, there are life-​size models, artifacts, plenty of stories and information, some audio, and even the halls are painted like a medical boxcar. And it IS medical, so blood-​o-​hobes beware (amputation diagrams)
Overall, very good for the price and time, especially if your wife is a nurse AND a history nut like mine!

This museum has been around and growing for a long time. Behind the exhibits are the dedicated research efforts of professional and amateur historians. Their conferences are first-​rate and real learning experiences for medical professionals and «civilians» alike. Besides that, they are fun and the tours that are part of the conferences are great. You won’t find a nicer, more helpful group of people anywhere. Their re-​enactments and events (such as cigar and whiskey-​tastings) are a great intro to Civil War history and life.

Pros: Complimentary parking on the weekends. Through explanation of each exhibit, which spans two floors.
Cons: Information wasn’t too informative.

Quiet museum within the main street of a small town. Bit pricey-​think it was $ 10.50 per adult? They do have senior and AAA discount though. 2 floors of exhibits.
If you’re into American history and/​or science/​medicine this place is for you. Parking garage right behind the museum, about $ 1-​$ 1.50 per hour.

it’s okay. i thought that they could do a little more with it. in fact, i always thought that frederick was doing itself a disservice by not positioning itself more as a tourist gateway to the surrounding civil war historical sites. i guess they kind of do, but it’s more of an afterthought. while i am thinking of it, frederick could really even do a lot more with military medicine in general, not just civil war military medicine, what with ft. detrick right there and other stuff like bethesda and the uniformed services medical school so close by. but, what the heck do i know?

I had family in town and needed an excuse to stroll around downtown Frederick and look at the new artistic «keys» set about.
I have driven by and heard about the National Museum of Civil War Medicine for years. It was time to venture in. My folks got a senior discount, as did the kids as students. I think it was a mere $ 7 or so for adults.
I thought it would be a decent experience. However, the exhibits and artifacts found there, and how they were displayed and provided to us on the «self tour» were well above my expectations. The whole group, from my 7 year old daughter, to my father, found everything of interest.
It’s basically devoted to use and advances of medicine in the last 1800’s. There is an on-​going story you can follow of one soldier. Life size portrayals. The death, destruction and disfigurement of many soldiers can be a bit hard to swallow at times but an important part of our history to explore and realize.
It’s definitely worth a trip inside! Give yourself at least an hour, but you could spend much much more time there, or get in and out fairly quick if you are just popping in to see what it’s all about. It’s much larger inside then you think. 3 stories of exhibits.
Museum Hours
Monday-​Saturday 10 am — 5 pm, Sunday 11 am — 5 pm
Closed New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day